Al Ula Old Town: Ancient village in Saudi Arabia reopens to visitors for first time in three years


Hayley Skirka
  • English
  • Arabic

Saudi Arabia's Al Ula has reopened its Old Town to visitors for the first time in three years.

Dating back to the 12th century, the heritage site is best known for its mud-brick buildings and being an age-old settlement on the pilgrimage route from Damascus to Makkah.

Uninhabited for more than 40 years, the town was closed completely in 2017 by the Royal Commission for AlUla. It has now reopened as a year-round tourism site, with restored streets, buildings and attractions, and free entry for visitors.

Al Ula Old Town was inhabited from the 12th century until the 1980s, when its last residents left the ancient village for more modern locales.

With nearly 900 houses, 400 shops and five town squares, the Old Town is once again welcoming travellers.

Those taking a trip to the ancient Saudi village can pay a visit to the Masjid Al-Izam, the restored Friday mosque believed to have been visited by the Prophet Mohammed.

Al Ula Old Town is know for its ancient mud-brick houses. Courtesy RCU
Al Ula Old Town is know for its ancient mud-brick houses. Courtesy RCU

Travellers can also see the town’s tantora, or sundial, which served as the main way residents tracked the change of seasons.

The incense route, running adjacent to the town, has also reopened. Visitors can stroll along it, stopping at the stalls that now line it. These include fruit and produce stalls, as well as arts and crafts, fashion and souvenir market spaces.

Saudi fine-dining in an age-old setting

Suhail restaurant in Al Ula Old Town serves high-end Saudi Arabian cuisine with indoor or outdoor seating. Courtesy RCU
Suhail restaurant in Al Ula Old Town serves high-end Saudi Arabian cuisine with indoor or outdoor seating. Courtesy RCU

There are also several new open-air eateries in the town, including Al Ula’s newest fine-dining restaurant, Suhail, which serves traditional Saudi cuisine with a modern twist. Diners can opt to sit inside the mud-brick building or dine al fresco with views of the ancient site.

A handicraft pavilion is being constructed and is set to be the place where live demonstrations of traditional arts and crafts will happen. There will also be a day and night-time souk.

Story-telling tours with a 'rawi' guide

Storytelling tours let visitors explore the history of Al Ula Old Town alongside a rawi, or traditional storyteller. Courtesy RCU
Storytelling tours let visitors explore the history of Al Ula Old Town alongside a rawi, or traditional storyteller. Courtesy RCU

Visitors who want to find out more about Old Town can take a self-guided tour or book a storytelling tour inclusive of a "rawi" tour guide. A rawi is a traditional storyteller or narrator. Tours can be booked online at experiencealula.com and cost 70 Saudi riyals ($18) per adult.

Tours encompass the restored streets of Old Town towards Tantora Plaza and the sundial, the two restored mosques of Al Zawiyah and Hamad bin Yunus, and the citadel where a bird's-eye view of the town awaits. There's also scope to visit the recently conserved homes in the southern end of town.

With Saudi Arabia currently closed to international visitors, a 360-degree glimpse of what awaits visitors in the Old Town can be seen here.

There's also more development to come at the ancient site.

"The team has been working on conserving the southern and eastern areas of Al Ula Old Town and applying conservation best practice, experimenting with different mud-brick and plasters and creating guidelines for best practice in conservation of earthen architecture in Al Ula," said Michael Jones, cultural heritage conservation manager at RCU.

"The guidelines are in the final stages of preparation, but there is more yet to be done on the interiors of the houses along the street near the mosques, as well as the rest of Old Town."

TO%20CATCH%20A%20KILLER
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDamian%20Szifron%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shailene%20Woodley%2C%20Ben%20Mendelsohn%2C%20Ralph%20Ineson%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20101hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20135Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Six-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh79%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
  • Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
  • Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
  • Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
  • Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
  • Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
  • Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%202-litre%20direct%20injection%20turbo%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%207-speed%20automatic%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20261hp%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20400Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20From%20Dh134%2C999%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sinopharm vaccine explained

The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades. 

“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.

"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."

This is then injected into the body.

"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.

"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."

The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.

Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.

“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young